It's Fiddler, not Smile, the cast shouldn't be filled with blonde bombshell types. And just because some of the actors don't conform to conventional matinee idol standards does not mean they are unattractive.
Two things did surprise me, though:
1) Tzeitel doesn't look remotely Jewish
2) The men look so much older than their intended brides in the show. (I know that back then older men took younger brides, but in Fiddler that's usually played down, so that we see that Lazar Wolf-- a much older man-- as a poor choice for Tzeitel.) And even so, the men are not so far afield that I think it will be a distraction. I just noted it in passing.
PB-- I think your comment ("I'm sure these talented folks are better looking in person Dear Lord, they've gotta be or they should re-name this revival 'Funny Fiddler Faces'") was a bit out of line. Commenting on an actor's physical appearance is fair game insofar as how it relates to the role he/she is playing. There aren't any plot points in Fiddler that call for raving beauties flying in naked save for a well-placed sheet. These characters are supposed to be played by ethnic types, and the actors can fall anywhere on that oh-so-subjective scale of attractiveness without changing the message of the show. So why take a cheap shot at performers whose work you haven't even seen yet?
Then from out of the blue, and without any guide, you know what your decision is, which is not to decide...
I chose and my world was shaken, so what? The choice may have been mistaken; the choosing was not. Just keep moving on...
--Sondheim
